"The Gutenberg revolution was the invention of moveable type. Each aspect of this process went through hundreds of technological developments until this idea was itself succeeded by an idea that mad life easier and production faster. Enter the world of offset litho and subsequently digital printing. If the technology exists to allow you to move type that you don't have to store, carry or physically move, what choice do you expect people to make?"
But I still think typographers should learn the basis of the earlier methodology before moving on to tools which are in effect 'too easy'. It's like telling someone they can be a really great, concise, thoughtful painter if they spend an afternoon learning to drip some paint on a canvas on the floor, and then having them expect to make some great art with it. There was an entire podium of history that the abstract expressionists stood upon which preceded them. It's all about intent though, and the intention of the typographer (or painter) is almost of equal importance to their initial instruction and training.
One man will buy a bicycle and always pay a bike mechanic to change the tube- another girl will learn how to totally disassemble and reassemble the bike on her own. It is all about intention. I just wish more typographers today would allow intention to be a part of their process.
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